DJT’s relentless instigated chaos marks his calculated end game — to call off the next presidential election, noting too much danger.

To the editor:

When the enormous cost of Donald Trump’s presidency is written, his tactics of flattery, his bullying intimidation, and his joy in humiliation will be detailed. As will be his horrifying lack of judgment, like believing a murderer schooled by the KGB can be trusted. And surely the 47th president’s delight in trying to destroy Harvard, our nation’s oldest operating university, founded in 1636, will be a marked step toward public understanding that Trump, not Harvard, is the creator of a dangerously hostile environment.

Harvard has its share of elitists, but unlike our president, the overriding campus motivation is not malicious destruction. When my husband entered his senior year at Harvard, he learned he was a candidate for magna honors. To achieve this, a thesis was necessary. A history major, he painstakingly developed his writing points, making an appointment with an esteemed professor in the Chinese department to share his ideas. Before any discussion, the professor sternly asked if my husband spoke or wrote Chinese. When the answer was no, he was dismissed with these words: “My boy, you can’t do anything worthwhile.”

Long story short: My husband determined he would never again allow his ideas to be demeaned. But mature reflection taught him far more about his condescending professorial dismissal, what all excellent educators expect of their graduates—to push themselves with honor far beyond their very best. Not for themselves, but for the betterment of others, for our world community. And he has.

Understandably, a united Harvard now stands against a president who may well have been rejected by them decades ago—for good reason. Noticeably, at the recent Columbia graduation, acting president Claire Shipman was booed for capitulating to some demands by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Harvard president Alan M. Garber, who in his message defended the value of education, was applauded. One student proudly called out the same two words spoken to my husband in 1957: My boy.

Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer June 11, 2025

Dying for Sex becomes an extremely meaningful viewing experience in its last half when BDSM emphasis morphs into something else.

Read the full review on socialworker.com

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

     Dying for Sex holds two primary themes—the extraordinary friendship shared by two women, and the journey toward death viewed as progression toward life’s extraordinary possibilities. The superb talent of co-creators Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock in bringing the podcast story to film life is front and center of this work, as are genius performances.

     The indomitable Michelle Williams plays Molly Kochan (her real name). With the assistance of Wondery, a highly successful podcast studio detailed later, Molly’s beloved, devoted friend, Nikki Boyer (also her real name in the series), brought honesty and authenticity to the podcast, revealing open discussions about nearly all of Kochan’s almost 200 sexual experiences in the final years of her life, in part motivated by increased libido resulting from her prescribed medications. Six podcast episodes were released in 2020 following Molly’s death at the age of 45. 

     Nikki, who sees Molly through her healing, fulfilling, captivating, and at times humorous journey to death, is played in the TV series by the extraordinary talent, Jenny Slate. Nikki, an actress totally disorganized in all aspects of her life, evolves in ways that will leave you breathless. As time passes, we bear witness as care for Molly precedes all in Nikki’s life, including a man she loves deeply and a job that is an essential stepping stone. In chilling truth, as Molly’s illness progresses, Nikki speaks of gratitude that her blood has stained most of Nikki’s clothing; this allows them to remain together.

I am pleased to be quoted in an article by Jamie Santa Cruz in Social Work Today. The quotes selected do not only apply to social workers. Read the full article here: www.socialworktoday.com/archive/Spring25p14.shtml

By Jamie Santa Cruz

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Signs of Imbalance

A good way to tell if your work/life balance is off is to listen to your own body—literally, the physical pain signals it is sending, says Smullens, who is also the author of the book Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work: A Guidebook for Students and Those in Mental Health and Related Professions.

“The body speaks,” Smullens says. “When we can’t balance what’s necessary in our personal lives and our work, our bodies warn through pain and anxiety. When our work touches buried trauma, our soul never forgets. Once physical illness is ruled out, if our neck hurts for no apparent reason, we are wise to ask ourselves who or what is a pain in our neck, what are we itching for, what is breaking our backs, or what can’t we swallow. Our bodies offer an “emotional sense of direction,” she explains.⁸

Read Jamie’s full article in the Spring 2025 Issue of Social Work Today  Vol. 25 No. 2 P. 14

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